AUSTIN, Texas – After making a run to their first-ever Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship match a season ago, the Concordia University Texas women's soccer team enters the 2026 campaign looking to take the next step under head coach Andy Tunnicliffe.
The Tornados finished the 2025 conference slate with a 5-3-2 record before saving some of their best soccer for the postseason.
CTX opened the SCAC Tournament with a commanding 3-0 victory over Austin College in the quarterfinals, marking the program's first SCAC Tournament victory. The Tornados followed with a 1-0 upset of top-seeded Texas Lutheran in the semifinals. The victory made Concordia the first No. 4 seed in SCAC Women's Soccer Tournament history to advance to the championship match.
After navigating a young roster and several key injuries last season, Tunnicliffe believes the experience only strengthened the foundation of the program.
"We always talk about where we want to be and what it's going to take to get there and the types of people that we're going to need to get there," Tunnicliffe said. "Belief, determination and that bigger-picture mentality, that growth mindset, is just a part of the way we operate."
RETURNING CORE
The Tornados return several key contributors from last season's championship-match squad, including experience throughout the attack, midfield and back line.
Senior defender Karis Hickey returns after starting all 20 matches and scoring three goals in 2025. Hickey logged more than 1,600 minutes and provided a steady presence for the Tornados throughout the season.
Senior forward Maddie Oberholtzer also returns after starting all 20 matches and finishing with three goals and an assist. Oberholtzer played a key role in the SCAC semifinal victory over Texas Lutheran, assisting on the late game-winning goal.
Junior midfielder Tatum Winn returns after leading the Tornados with five assists last season while adding a goal. Winn also delivered when it mattered most during the postseason, recording two assists in the quarterfinal victory over Austin College before combining with Oberholtzer to assist the game winner against Texas Lutheran.
Junior forward Emma Payne will look to build on a strong finish to her sophomore campaign. Payne led CTX with 38 shots during the season and scored twice in the Tornados' 3-0 SCAC quarterfinal victory over Austin College. Her postseason performance helped her earn a spot on the SCAC All-Tournament Team.
CTX also returns Lilianna Cherry, Lorian Lopez, Shelby Jones, Riley Jackson, Gabrielle Kessler, Isabella Vassallo, Ella Mata Perez, Jazlene Gomez, Isabella Farias and Cecilia Escobar, giving Tunnicliffe an experienced group to work with entering the fall.
The Tornados will need to replace several important pieces from last season, but the amount of returning experience gives CTX a strong foundation as it looks to make another postseason run.
NEW FACES
Concordia will add a mix of collegiate experience and young talent to its returning core in 2026.
Kareena Rodriguez joins the Tornados after appearing in all 16 matches and making 15 starts as a freshman at Howard Payne. Fellow sophomore Sari Hernandez arrives from Southwestern after making 12 starts as a freshman and gaining valuable collegiate experience along the back line.
CTX also welcomes sophomores Abby Friday from Texas Woman's University and Avery Ukeiley from St. Mary's University, along with juniors Makinley Kylberg from the University of St. Thomas and Keagan Austin from Lynn University.
The freshman class features goalkeepers Kylie Borquin and Emma Guillen, along with Amanda Falcon, Mahaley Merkens, Kara Kirkpatrick, Brooklynn Anthony and Emrie Dupaul.
Merkens arrives from a successful Boerne High School program and competed at the club level with Classics Elite ECNL-RL, while Kirkpatrick joins CTX after helping Davenport reach the UIL State Tournament during her senior season. Guillen helped anchor the defense at Harlingen High School, while Dupaul earned Honorable Mention All-District recognition during her prep career at Brandeis.
Tunnicliffe is particularly excited about how the newcomers can complement the returning group, noting that the freshmen have "raised the bar" while the incoming transfers bring previous collegiate experience and an opportunity to make an immediate impact.
THE 2026 SLATE
The Tornados will prepare for the season with three preseason contests, beginning with an exhibition against Huston-Tillotson on Aug. 22 at Gardner-Boggs Field before traveling to Southwestern on Aug. 26 and Schreiner on Aug. 30 for scrimmages.
Concordia will then head west to officially open the regular season with a pair of matches in California. CTX faces Cal Lutheran on Sept. 3 before traveling to Whittier College on Sept. 5.
The Tornados return to Texas for one of their biggest non-conference tests of the season when they host Trinity on Sept. 11 at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex. CTX then travels south to face NCAA Division I UT Rio Grande Valley on Sept. 13.
Concordia travels to Nelson University on Sept. 15 before returning home to host Howard Payne on Sept. 21 for Senior Night.
The conference portion of the schedule begins at home against Dallas on Sept. 27, followed by home contests against Austin College on Oct. 2 and LeTourneau on Oct. 4.
The Tornados then travel to Texas Lutheran on Oct. 9 in a rematch of last season's SCAC semifinal before returning home to host Centenary on Oct. 16.
CTX closes the conference road slate with trips to St. Thomas, Ozarks and Hendrix before returning to Round Rock to host McMurry on Oct. 29 in the regular-season finale. The McMurry matchup will give the Tornados another opportunity against the program that narrowly denied CTX the conference championship last November.
The road to the SCAC championship will once again come through Round Rock as the 2026 SCAC Women's Soccer Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 5-8 at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
Last season's postseason run showed what Concordia is capable of when playing its best soccer at the right time.
After entering the SCAC Tournament as the fourth seed, the Tornados earned their first SCAC postseason victory, knocked off the tournament's top seed and became the highest seed in conference tournament history to advance to the championship match.
For Cherry, taking the next step starts with how the Tornados approach the season together.
"I think the key things are probably unity, how we respond to things together and how we work together," Cherry said. "Work ethic is the other big thing. I think another thing is communication; how we communicate with each other and how we uplift each other."
With an experienced core, an influx of transfers and freshmen and another challenging schedule ahead, Concordia enters the fall looking to build on last year's championship-match appearance.
After coming within one victory of an SCAC title last fall, the objective for Concordia in 2026 is clear: build on the run and put itself in position to compete for a championship once again.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the CTX women's soccer program, follow us on social media (@ctxathletics) and visit the Concordia Texas Athletics website.
